The Utah Jazz have a name on their staff gaining a bit of buzz as a potential head coaching candidate for a rival team right within their division.According to NBA insider Chris Haynes, Jazz assistant Mike Williams is among the finalists in the running to be the Portland Trail Blazers' next head coach.Portland Trail Blazers have come away impressed by Utah Jazz assistant Mike Williams and he is among the final pool of candidates in consideration for the head coach opening, league sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/zptRGufkQ1— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 22, 2026Williams is one of the select few reported names in the mix to land the Blazers' head coach opening, which was reportedly down to a group of three finalists between Minnesota Timberwolves' assistant Micah Nori, LA Clippers assistant Jeff Van Gundy, and their interim from this past season, Tiago Splitter according to Marc Stein.That pool of candidates could very well be expanded to four coaches, or perhaps more behind the scenes. But as it relates to the Jazz, it at least puts a question mark around Williams and his future with the team rolling into next season.Jazz Assistant Mike Williams Could Land Blazers' JobWilliams has been a tenured name on the Jazz's staff who's been on board since the 2023-24 season, having come off his third year in Utah to now gain his first serious look at an NBA head coaching opportunity.He's been a head coach once before. But that was with the Washington Wizards' G League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, for two years before he arrived in Utah. He was in the Wizards' ecosystem dating back all the way to 2018 with a focus on player development.But Williams has also had a brief stint with the Blazers all the way back in 2018 for three months as a player development intern. It wouldn't take long before the Wizards would then scoop him up, but perhaps Portland has continued to watch their former intern from afar now with interest in a potential return.The Jazz have seen some notable turnover in their staff throughout virtually every one of their recent offseasons due to various assistants finding bigger opportunities elsewhere, whether that be in the pros or at the college level.In the 2023 offseason, assistant Alex Jensen would find a new role with the Dallas Mavericks before eventually transitioning to be the head coach for the University of Utah in 2025. Another assistant, Evan Bradds, would depart from the Jazz in 2025 for a spot on Duke's basketball staff, to now being the head coach for Belmont University.Williams could be another example of a Jazz assistant spreading his wings to find a new opportunity. And potentially going from an assistant jumping all the way to one of the 30 head coaching spots in the NBA would be notably impressive.It'll likely be a few more days, and possibly weeks, before we figure out who the Blazers ultimately choose for their next head coach rolling into next season. Though at the very least, Williams will remain a key candidate to keep an eye on throughout the process.Be sure to follow Utah Jazz On SI on X for daily Utah Jazz news, rumors and analysis!Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow